Adelaide Cup
Australia | FEATURE RACE GUIDE
History

The Adelaide Cup is a Group 2 race for open class handicap stayers conducted by the South Australian Jockey Club at Morphettville.
The Adelaide Cup is run over 3200m and was introduced in 1864. It is run under Handicap conditions and the first running was taken out by Falcon.
The date for the Cup has been moved around and could change again having been during the May carnival previously. There is still a public holiday for the Adelaide Cup.
Until 2007 it was a Group 1 race but is now Group 2.
Since the Metric system was introduced, those to carry 58kg or more and win are Hyperno in 1978 and Gallic in 2007.
Several Melbourne Cup winners had won the Adelaide Cup before going on to win at Flemington later that year but none since Subzero in 1992.
The last 3yo to win was The Hind for Peter Hayes in 1998.
In 2007 Gallic won the Adelaide Cup then a month later took the Sydney Cup.
One of the great stories of the Adelaide Cup was Lord Reims winning three straight as well as a Caulfield Cup in between.
Surprise Baby won the 2019 Cup at just his sixth start in a race. He would find his way into the Melbourne Cup and run a cracker into fifth.
Good Idea went one better in 2021 from the year before and the famous colours that he won in were carried to G1 success by both his parents So You Think and Faint Perfume.
When Daqiansweet Junior won in 2022, it was one of five winners on the program for Jamie Kah.
The Adelaide Cup was worth $350,000 in prizemoney in 2025.
Previous winners of the Adelaide Cup include Malua (1884), Rain Lover (1968), Reckless (1977), Hyperno (1978), Just A Dash (1981), Mr Lomondy (1986), Lord Reims (1987, 1988, 1989), Subzero (1992), Our Pompeii (1993, 1994), Gallic (2007), Surprise Baby (2019) and King Of Leogrance (2020).
The 2025 Adelaide Cup was won by Silent Surrente from Newfoundland and Grand Pierro.

Previous Adelaide Cup Winners
Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
SILENT SURRENTE
(AUS)
6M FIORENTE (IRE) - SILENT SURROUND (AUS) FACE VALUE (AUS) |
ROCHELLE MILNES | 53.5 | W CLARKEN & N O'SHEA | 11 |
|
EXCELLERATION
(AUS)
7G EXCELEBRATION (IRE) - RARE SUBJECT (AUS) RED RANSOM (USA) |
HARRY COFFEY | 53.5 | RICHARD CULLY | 12 |
|
REBEL RACER
(AUS)
6G REBEL RAIDER (AUS) - JUST SYBIL (AUS) ALANNAN (USA) |
C NEWITT | 53.0 | AMY & ASH YARGI | 9 |
|
DAQIANSWEET JUNIOR
(NZ)
4G SWEET ORANGE (USA) - PAULETTE (NZ) KEEPER (AUS) |
JAMIE MELHAM | 56.5 | PHILLIP STOKES | 2 |
|
GOOD IDEA
(AUS)
6G SO YOU THINK (NZ) - FAINT PERFUME (AUS) SHAMARDAL (USA) |
BEN THOMPSON | 53.0 | PHILLIP STOKES | 1 |
|
KING OF LEOGRANCE
(FR)
5G CAMELOT (GB) - AMOURETTE (FR) HALLING (USA) |
DAMIAN LANE | 54.0 | DANNY O'BRIEN | 14 |
|
SURPRISE BABY
(NZ)
4G SHOCKING (AUS) - BULA BABY (NZ) KAAPSTAD (NZ) |
DEAN HOLLAND | 53.0 | PAUL PREUSKER | 4 |
|
FANATIC
(NZ)
5M SHOCKING (AUS) - KOMPLETE KLASS (NZ) GROOM DANCER (USA) |
M J WALKER | 57.5 | D & B HAYES & T DABERNIG | 3 |
|
ANNUS MIRABILIS
(IRE)
6G MONTJEU (IRE) - LOVE ME TRUE (USA) KINGMAMBO (USA) |
REGAN BAYLISS | 55.5 | STUART WEBB | 7 |
|
PURPLE SMILE
(AUS)
5G ZABEEL (NZ) - BY HER SMILE (NZ) DEFENSIVE PLAY (USA) |
S BASTER | 53.0 | DAVID HAYES & TOM DABERNIG | 17 |
|
TANBY
(AUS)
8G GALILEO (IRE) - DANE BELLTAR (AUS) DANEWIN (AUS) |
DEAN HOLLAND | 53.0 | MICK CERCHI | 8 |
|
OUTBACK JOE
(AUS)
6G ELVSTROEM (AUS) - LET'S ELOPE (NZ) NASSIPOUR (USA) |
CHAD SCHOFIELD | 54.0 | NIGEL BLACKISTON | 7 |
|
NORSQUI
(AUS)
6G MATSQUI (AUS) - ESPRIT DU NORD (AUS) (NTB) CELTIC SPIRIT (NZ) |
C D SYMONS | 56.0 | W N MCSHANE | 6 |
|
RIALYA
(AUS)
4G KEMPINSKY (AUS) - ETTU BLU (AUS) PRINCE ECHO (IRE) |
S CAHILL | 54.0 | LLOYD KENNEWELL | 3 |
|
MUIR
(GB)
5G GALILEO (IRE) - BELLE ALLEMANDE (CAN) ROYAL ACADEMY (USA) |
D GAUCI | 54.0 | ROBERT HICKMOTT | 18 |
|
CAPECOVER
(NZ)
7G CAPE CROSS (IRE) - SET UP (NZ) ZABEEL (NZ) |
S W ARNOLD | 57.0 | PATRICK PAYNE | 9 |
|
ZAVITE
(NZ)
6G ZABEEL (NZ) - MISS VITA (USA) ALLEGED (USA) |
N RAWILLER | 57.5 | ANTHONY CUMMINGS | 5 |
|
LACEY UNDERALL
(AUS)
5M DESERT SUN (GB) - FLIRTED (AUS) BLUEBIRD (USA) |
D DUNN | 53.0 | DAN O'SULLIVAN | 11 |
|
GALLIC
(NZ)
7G ZABEEL (NZ) - GESINE (NZ) NASSIPOUR (USA) |
S W ARNOLD | 58.0 | GRAEME ROGERSON | 6 |
|
EXALTED TIME
(AUS)
6G BELLOTTO (USA) - ALLEGED LADY (AUS) DELGADO (USA) |
C LINDOP | 52.5 | J D SMITH | 5 |
|
DEMERGER
(AUS)
4M SAITHOR (USA) - TRIATTICA (AUS) CENTAINE (AUS) |
B SHINN | 51.0 | DANNY O'BRIEN | 1 |
|
PANTANI
(NZ)
5G PENTIRE (GB) - DEWAMAR (AUS) MARSCAY (AUS) |
K FORRESTER | 51.5 | ROBBIE LAING | 16 |
|
PILLAGE 'N PLUNDER
(NZ)
5G VICTORY DANCE (IRE) - RUE (NZ) COUNSEL (NZ) |
STEVEN KING | 53.5 | JOHN KEIRNAN | 12 |
|
THE A TRAIN
(NZ)
5G BLUES TRAVELLER (IRE) - LADY ACUMEN (NZ) SOUND REASON (CAN) |
S BASTER | 50.5 | CLIFF BROWN | 18 |
|
APACHE KING
(AUS)
5G WAAJIB (IRE) - NATIVE THRILLER (AUS) JUNGLE BOY (GB) |
P MERTENS | 51.0 | RUSSELL CAMERON | 1 |
|
BOHEMIATH
(AUS)
5G UMATILLA (NZ) - GALLORETTE (AUS) WHISKEY ROAD (USA) |
D GAUCI | 51.0 | R W SMERDON | 13 |
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